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      Report: Favre has “little support” in Vikings locker room

      August 26, 2009 /

      According to a report by ESPN.com, there appears to be schism in the Vikings locker room when it comes to whom the players want under center this year. Some favor Tarvaris Jackson, while others like Sage Rosenfels.

      Either way, there appears to be little support for Brett Favre.

      Sources with knowledge of the Vikings locker-room dynamics say some players believe Tarvaris Jackson gives the Vikings the best chance to win, while other players believe Sage Rosenfels gives the team the best chance to win — which is one of the new twists to this storyline. In the words of one NFL source, Favre has “little support” in the locker room as Minnesota prepares for its Monday night preseason game against the Houston Texans.

      Vikings coach Brad Childress was even asked Wednesday about the speculation.

      “I’ve seen the same reports you’ve seen,” Childress said. “Those are opinions. It’s hard to shoot holes in an opinion. It’s just that — an opinion. I certainly don’t see it.”

      If this situation winds up blowing up in the Vikings’ faces, Childress will have nobody to blame but himself. In his desire to put Favre under center, he turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the rest of his team and their wants.

      Granted, a head coach needs to do what he feels best for his team to win and not allow the players to run the organization. But in this particular situation, Childress will have to suffer the consequences if things don’t pan out, because he put Favre’s wants above all else.

      It’s going to be an interesting season in Minnesota this year. Childress better hope this Favre situation works out in the end or else he’ll face massive criticism. But if Brett wins, then nobody is going to remember what went down in August.

      NFL

      How Nick Van Exel once had 23 assists in a game

      August 26, 2009 /

      Per Deadspin…

      Not long ago, we brought you the story of a stat-padding NBA scorekeeper who, one day in 1997, awarded 23 assists to Lakers guard Nick Van Exel, mostly for the hell of it. That was Alex. (He is now an officer in the Navy and asks that I not use his last name.) From 1995 to 1998, he headed up the Vancouver Grizzlies’ stat crew.

      Alex quickly found that a scorekeeper is given broad discretion over two categories: assists and blocks (steals and rebounds are also open to some interpretation, though not a lot). “In the NBA, an assist is a pass leading directly to a basket,” he says. “That’s inherently subjective. What does that really mean in practice? The definition is massively variable according to who you talk to. The Jazz guys were pretty open about their liberalities. … John Stockton averaged 10 assists. Is that legit? It’s legit because they entered it. If he’s another guy, would he get 10? Probably not.”

      The bias is plain to see. Just look at the home-road splits. Last season, home teams leaguewide scored 101.58 points per game; road teams, 98.32. That’s to be expected: Teams play better at home. What’s surprising is that assists and blocks rise disproportionately for home teams — assists by nearly 8 percent, blocks by more than 15 percent. Last year’s Nuggets averaged 25 assists at home, only 19.4 on the road. They recorded 7.3 blocks per game at home and just 4.7 outside Denver. (Hell, Chris Andersen swatted 117 shots in 38 games at home against only 58 blocks in 33 games on the road. It was as if he stepped into the Pepsi Center and suddenly turned into Larry Nance.) The reason? People like Alex.

      Then Alex discusses the Nick Van Exel Incident…

      Alex decided to act out. “I was sort of disgruntled,” he says. “I loved the game. I don’t want the numbers to be meaningless, and I felt they were becoming meaningless because of how stats were kept. So I decided, I’m gonna do this totally immature thing and see what happens. It was childish. The Lakers are in town. We’re gonna lose. Fuck it. He’s getting a shitload of assists.” If you were to watch the game today, you’d see some “comically bad assists.” Alex’s fingerprints are all over the box score. He gave Van Exel everything. “Van Exel would pass from the top of the three-point line to someone on the wing who’d hold the ball for five seconds, dribble, then make a move to the basket. Assist, Van Exel.”

      Why would a team inflate its stats?

      “Teams have a legitimate, vested interest in stats being inflated, just like the league does,” Alex says. “Ten assists is way more interesting than eight assists. As humans, those are more appealing and interesting numbers. The NBA benefits and every team benefits from bigger, flashier numbers.”

      While this isn’t on the level of PEDs, it’s certainly troubling to read about the way a statistician can fudge the numbers to make certain players look better.

      And it will definitely make me think twice when I’m setting my fantasy lineup for the night. Go with the guy playing at home.

      NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      A breakdown of the Michael Beasley story

      August 26, 2009 /

      Henry Abbott of TrueHoop analyzes the information and misinformation surrounding Beasley’s rehab.

      The more you dig for real information about what’s going on right now, the muddier the picture becomes.

      One group of sources swears that Beasley’s off-court life is disastrous. They talk of compounding poor judgment with cars, guns, women and money. They talk of money spent on cars, houses and supporting those around him that far exceeds income. Many tell stories of appointments broken and opportunities lost to a player who seems unable to focus. When word came that he was entering some kind of treatment, several sources said things like “I’m not surprised at all,” and “it could get worse before it gets better.”

      This is a good read for those interesting in what’s going on with Beasley, even though the picture isn’t entirely clear.

      NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      With Bucs’ QB job Leftwich’s to lose, is trade coming for McCown or Johnson?

      August 26, 2009 /

      According to the St. Petersburg Times, the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback job is Byron Leftwich’s to lose. Unless he’s absolutely brutal in this week’s preseason game against the Dolphins, it appears that Leftwich will be under center for the Bucs in Week 1.

      On a related note, NFL.com is reporting that the Bucs are gauging trade interest for Leftwich, Luke McCown and Josh Johnson.

      Bucs coach Raheem Morris originally planned to name a starter after Saturday’s preseason game against the Jaguars, then postponed the decision for at least one more week. Veterans Byron Leftwich and Luke McCown have been competing for the job, with first-round draft pick Josh Freeman the quarterback of the future.

      Two NFL sources said the Bucs have been calling teams, willing to listen to offers for Leftwich, McCown or second-year pro Josh Johnson, a player thought of highly internally but who likely wouldn’t have great trade value.

      “They sounded like they’re willing to deal any one of those three,” one executive said. “They’re looking for someone to make the (starting quarterback) decision for them.”

      I think it’s safe to assume that the NFL.com report doesn’t apply to Leftwich now, but that doesn’t mean that Tampa won’t try to ship McCown or Johnson out of town. And considering McCown threw two touchdown passes in the Bucs’ second preseason game, he seems to offer the best value in a trade.

      Then again, given Leftwich’s troubles with inconsistency and with rookie Josh Freeman off to a slow start, the Bucs may want to hang onto McCown for the time being. It doesn’t make sense to hang onto four quarterbacks, but it’s not like the Bucs have a clear-cut starter out of the group either.

      I don’t see Johnson netting much (if anything) in a trade.

      NFL

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